Dear Friends,
Grace, mercy, and peace be with you in the name of Jesus, the head of the church. We, the General Council Executive-elect, greet each of you during this time of change and transition in the church. Although our tenure in office does not officially begin until January 1, 2019, we met over the weekend of September 8‒10 to commence our work. During this time, we looked at what it means to function as an executive for the General Council. We were ably led in our discussions by Dan Hotchkiss, noted church governance consultant. During our time together, we noted that as an executive we are called upon to offer leadership to the church as we live out our mission. It was clear to us that we will be called upon to deal with the denomination-shaping questions and policy. We look forward to working with the Moderator, General Secretary, and General Council Office staff to plan for the work of the next three years. We are conscious of the awesome responsibilities that have been laid on our shoulders, and from now we pledge to you to do our best with the things you have placed in our hands. We were reminded that we are a conciliar and a connexional church. As connexional church we are connected to each other; each member is connected to the next, and each level of church governance is connected to the next, and all are connected to the whole church. We are aware that clear and effective communication will strengthen our connecting. To this end we pledge ourselves from now to keep the lines of communication open with you during our tenure in office. January 1, 2019, will mark a change in our church. As we prepare for this change, we will also be involved in a time of transitioning from old ways of doing things to new ways. Much work must be done for us to be ready for the change. We place on record our thanks to the many who are busy creating new structures. Our thanks also to those who have the hard, and often painful, task of dismantling the structures of presbyteries and Conferences to make way for the January 1 change. This is an emotional time for us all, and yet we are conscious that amid the change, the work and mission of the church will continue after January 1, 2019. As we plan for the changes we know that we will continue to be The United Church of Canada, and there is still much work for us to do, even as we do our work differently. We therefore hold up before us all the mission of the church and remind ourselves that there is need for all of us to be part of it. We hold in our prayers those who will be affected personally by the changes that are to occur. We ask your prayers for us as we prepare to assume the responsibilities of being the General Council Executive. Please remember in your prayers our Moderator Richard Bott, General Secretary Nora Sanders, and the staff of the General Council Office. We also ask your prayers for all who will be taking up new appointments in the new structures come January 1. It has been said that the only constant in life is change. We move forward into the future not afraid of the challenges that change will cause. Instead we go forward with faith. We are reminded by the words of A New Creed that “In life, in death, in life beyond death, God is with us. We are not alone.” It is upon this that we anchor our faith. We have no idea what the details of our future will look like. But we invite each of us to hold the hands of each other as we work together toward the future. With you we risk faith and dare to hope. Yours in Christ, Paul Douglas Walfall on behalf of the Executive-elect Members of The United Church of Canada General Council Executive-elect Mitchell Anderson Sharon Aylsworth Richard Bott Kathy Brett Teresa Burnett-Cole Jordan Cantwell Katie Curtis Samuel Vauvert Dansokho Paul Douglas Walfall Larry Doyle Deb Hinksman Jane McDonald Ha Na Park Deborah Richards Nora Sanders Arlyce Schiebout Janet Sigurdson |
Contact Online is a Blog for St. Mark's United Church Community of Faith, Region 15 of the United Church of Canada. 504 Bernard Street, Port Hawkesbury, N.S. B9A 1L2, E-mail: stmarksuc@gmail.com St. Mark's United Church accepts and welcomes all people as we share and grow in acceptance, learn, love and share our Christian faith in God's love. Phone: (902) 625-2229, Church Services are held every Sunday at 9:30 a.m.
Thursday, 27 September 2018
Pastoral Letter from the General Council Executive-elect
